On December 13, the General Assembly adopted a 20-page “technical corrections” bill that included an item that will adversely affect cities. An amendment to the existing legislation regarding small cell wireless facilities prohibits cities from charging telecommunication services and video programming providers (such as AT&T, Verizon, and others) any application fee to place small cell facilities on Town rights-of-way or on private property in Town limits. Existing legislation already restricted Town fees to well below cost recovery levels. The governor vetoed the bill (for reasons not related to small cell fees), but the veto was overridden and the bill became law on December 27.

Data gathering was the focus of the Community Branding Initiative in the second quarter. In October 2018, a Vision Survey was distributed to nearly 500 business and community leaders in Cary. In November, North Star revisited Cary to collect feedback through structured interviews, focus groups, and informal conversations with citizens, workers, and visitors in various locations around town. A public input phase concludes on January 31, allowing everyone who works or lives in Cary to provide feedback through a community-wide survey. The results from these efforts are being analyzed and are expected to be presented this spring. Work on the Branding Initiative will continue throughout 2019.